NCP (SP) slams Maharashtra govt over passage of supplementary demands sans discussion

Mumbai, Jul 10 (PTI) NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Jayant Patil on Wednesday suggested that the treasury benches created an uproar in the Maharashtra assembly on Wednesday to ensure the passage of supplementary demands of Rs 94,000 crore without discussion.

"The government had tabled a budget of over Rs 6 lakh crore and the supplementary demands of Rs 94,000 crore. This will create an economic chaos," he told reporters.

Maharashtra Deputy CM and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar tabled supplementary demands of Rs 94,889.46 crore, which are additional funds sought by the government over the budgetary allocations, in the assembly on Tuesday.

Both houses of state legislature witnessed uproar over the opposition boycotting the all-party meeting convened earlier by the chief minister on the Maratha reservation issue, leading to adjournment of the legislative assembly and council for Wednesday.

In the Lower House, presiding officer Sanjay Shirsat hurriedly conducted the day's business, including passing supplementary and budgetary demands, an appropriation bill, and a tax-related amendment bill.

"The government feared that the opposition would stall the supplementary demands. They have a majority of 206 MLAs. There is no need to fear. Still, treasury benches created a ruckus in the House forcing an adjournment. This has resulted in the additional burden of Rs 94,000 crore (through the passage of supplementary demands) on the people," Patil alleged.

He alleged the government was making an issue of the Maha Vikas Aghadi allies' absence from the all-party meeting on the Maratha quota held on Tuesday.

The meeting chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was boycotted by MVA members accusing the government of not taking them into confidence.

"The all-party meeting should have been held after taking everyone into confidence," he said.

The government had held discussions with OBC and Maratha activists and it should have taken a decision (on quota), Patil added.

The meeting was held days before the expiry of the deadline set by Maratha activist Manoj Jarange for the government to accept the community’s demands, including quota under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

Last month, OBC quota activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare went on a hunger strike demanding that the draft notification that gives Kunbi certificates to Marathas to avail quota benefits under the OBC category be scrapped.

Meanwhile, state Congress president Nana Patole targeted the government over the quota issue.

"There is no unanimity over reservations in the government. It just has to take a decision. An all-party meeting had been held earlier. The government is playing politics to hide its sins," he said. PTI MR NSK